Rescue device for submarines



April 28, I931. J. D. MELMS .RESCUE DEVICE FOR SUBMARINES Filed Feb. 26, 1930 3 sheets-sheet 1 1/0/9272 Me/ms ATTORNEY J1 D. MELMS RESCUE DEVICE FOR SUBMARINES April 28; 1931.

Fild Feb. 26, 1950 s sheets sheet. a

l mented Apr. 28, 1931 P mm 0 JOHN D. MELMS, or PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA RESCUE DEVICE FOR SUBMARINES Application filed February 26, 1930. Serial No. 431,489.

This invention relates to newand useful improvements in a rescue device for submar rines and has for its primary object the pro vision of means whereby the persons confined in a sunken or disabled submarine may'easily and quickly escape therefrom to the surface of the water and there be safely picked up by a rescue ship.

Another object of this invention is the provision of means controlled from the inside of the submarine whereby a life-saving device containing a person may be released and guided to the surface of the water so thatthe persons escaping from the submarine will reach the surface of the water safely and with a minimum amount of discomfort.

A further object of this invention is the provision of means whereby the life-saving device may be easily and quickly returned n to the submarine to receive the next; person to be rescued and then released again to ascend to the surface of the water.

A still further object of'this'invention is the provision of a rescue device for submarines of the above stated character, which shall be simple, durable and efficient, and which may be manufactured and sold at a comparatively low cost.

lVith these and other obj ectfs in view aswill become more apparentas the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed. For a complete understanding offmy invention reference is to be had to the folloW ing description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in sec tion illustrating a rescue device for submarines constructed in accordance with my in vention and in the act of conveying a person from a sunken submarine to the surface of the water. V

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional View illustrating the same. i

and Figure 4 is sectional view take'n on the line 4l Figure 2."

Figure 3 is a top plan View of the device,

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates a submarine of any well known construction and to which my invention is applied and the submarine has an opening in its top wall in which is positioned a housing 2 provided at its upper end with an attaching flange 3 adapted to be bolted or otherwise secured to the deck of a submarine so that the housing 2 depends downwardly within the submarine. The bottom wall of the housing 2 is provided with a circular opening, the walls ofwhich are ground and curved to form the female portion of a joint. A cylinder 4 having its upper end fully open is mounted in the opening in the bottom wall of the casing 2'a'nd has formed thereon a shoulder 5 whichis ground and curved to conform to theconto'ur of the walls of the opening and thereby form the male portion of a ball joint which will permit the chamber 4 to swin'grelatively to the housing 2 and still support the chamber 4; to the housing 2. The-bottom wall of the housing adj acentthc opening is provided with angular grooves in which are positioned packing elements 6 adapted to be forced'in'engagement with the shoulder 1 "by stub bolts 7. flange. 8 sur'roundsthe lower portion of the shoulder 5 and is detachably secured to the casing 2'by bolts and nuts 9 cooperating with the bottom wall of the casing in forming the female portion of the ball joint which'estab lishes connection between the chamber 4 and the casing or housing 2; The flange 8 is provided with an annulargroove in which is positioned a packing gland 10 adapted to be forced against the shoulder 5 by a setbolt 11, thus it will be seen that a leak-proof conne tion is established between thecasing 2 and p the chamber 4. Tubular members 12 are sccured to the bottom of the chamber 4 and extend therethrough and depend below said chamber 4 and support a 1 platform 13' which is spaced from the bottom of the submarine 1 as clearly shown in' Figure 1. The tubular members 12 are strengthened by diagonally arranged braces 14L and'braces 15 which are secured to the tubular members adjacent their upperends and to thefbottomflwall-of the" chamber l. A plurality-of tubular and tel'e ries I A removable scopic standards or guides 16 are mounted in the tubular members 12 and are adapted to extend upwardly through the chamber 4 by way of packing glands 17 and the inner cured within an annular groove 21-formed in the upper end of the casing or housing 2. WVhen the float 18 is positioned within the casing or housing 2 the air is partially displaced from said casing 2 and chamber 4 creating a partial vacuum that co-operates with the weight of the float in retaining the float normally in the casing or housing 2- and flush with the surface of the deck oi the submarine. A valve 23 is connected to the lower end of the chamber 4 and to a pipe orhose 24 which extends through the wall of the submarine 1 for the purpose of admitting water to the chamber 4-when the valve 23 is open.

The float 18 has a centrally arranged passage 25 normally'closed at its upper'end by a removable hatch 26 and the'lower end of the passage 25 is flared to enlarge the passage andto receive the restricted end27 of a rescue or life-saving device 28 when the lat ter has ascended to the surface of the water and the float 18 riding upon the sur-tace of the water and which will be hereinafter more fully described. The rescue device 28 com prises a housing 29 having its upper portion.

reduced to form the restricted passage-.27 and which is closed by-a removablehatch Thehousing 29 has foi'medthercon guide members 31 adapted to. encircle the guidesor standards 16 as clearly shown inFig-ure fl 7 for the purpose of guiding :the vertical move;

ment of the rescue device 28. Thehousing29 adJacent its lower end is provided with a door-way 32 closed by a door 33 located within the housing 29 and thedoor-way 32 has an inclined face adapted to engagethe inclined face of a packing element 33w- 16!) the rescue device 28 is in its lowermost position and the packing element 33 is securedabout the entrance 34 0f a vestibule or chamber 35 formed in the lower portion of the chamber 4 and which is closed by a door and the latterestablishes communication betweenthe interior of the submarine 1 andthe vestibule or chamber 35..- The, chamber or vestn bule 35 is provided with a bleeding valve 3-7 disposed in the bottomwall-ofthe chamber 4 and a similar bleeding valve 384s; located in the upperend of the chamber or vestibule 35 and in communication with the-interior of the chamber 4. The bleeding valve 38 is pro-- vided with controls 39 and 40, the-latter being located in the chamber 4 while the former-is located eXteriorl-y of the chamber 4 and with in the submarine 1. The bleeding valve 38 is off any well known construction wherein the inward movement of the control element 39 or 40 will openthe valve and when released will assume a valve-closing position. A lever 41 is pivot-ally mounted in the casing or housing 29 above the door 33 and is pivotally connected to a plunger 40 operable through a packing gland 42 and adapted to engage the control element 40 when the lever '41 is swung in one direction to open the valve 38 from the. interior of the casing or housing 29.

A cable 42 has one end secured to the bottom wall of the casing or housing 29 by a fastening element 43 and extends through the bottom wall of the chamber 4 by way of the packing gland 44- and passes over a guide roll-' er 45 located on the platform 13.and then is wouu d upon a drum 46 which is also located upon the platform 13 and is provided with a suitable operating means 47 for rotating the drum to wind the cable thereon.

In operation when the submarine 1 is subn'ierged and. disabled, a person to be rescued enters the rescue chamber 28 by opening the doors 36, and 33 and said doors are then closed and a person remainingin he submarine 1 opens the valve 23 admitting water to the chamber 4 which forces the float 18 outwardly of its seat in the housing or casing 2 and the latter ascends to the surface of the water as shown in Figure 1 drawing upwardly. at the same time the telescopic section of the standard or guides 16 and the rescue device 28 beingof a buoyant nature will travel upwardly in the guide or standard 16 until it is received in the passage 25 of the float 18. The person in the rescue device 28 open the hatches 30 and 26 to permit of escape outwardly onto the float 18. It is to be understood that when the reduced end 27 arrives in the passage 25 that it is sufliciently spaced away from the hatch 26 that will permit ot the hatch 30 to be first opened and then the hatch26. After the person arrives on the float 18 he may then telephone to the persons in the submarine that they may draw down the rescue device 28 by operating the drum 46. It course beingundcrstood that the hatches 26 and 30 are first closed before the rescue device starts on its dowu ward'trip. Telephones 48 andv 49 are provided. while the telephone 48 is located in a suitable chamber 50 within the float 18 and normally closed by hatch 51 while the telephone 49' is located in the submarine 1 and. upon one ofthe tubular members or standards 12. The telephones are electrically connected in the usual manner by conductors passed through they telescopic standards or guides 16. When the rescue device 28 reaches of the water contained therein by opening the valve 37 permitting the water to flow into the submarine 1. To permit of the second person to escape from the submarine l the valve 37 is closed and the person enters the rescue device 28 by opening the doors 36 and 38 and then closes the doors and operates the lover -11 which opens the valve 38 admitting water from the chamber 4 into the vestibule and thereby breaking the partial vacuum which has been suflicient to retain the rescue device 2-8 in its lowermost position and the latter then ascends up the standards or guides 16 to the float 18 where the person escapes onto the float by opening the hatches and 26. This method of operation is carried out until each and. every person in the submarine has successfully escaped to the float where they may remain until rescued by a ship.

YVhen the float 18 is on the surface of the 'ater and if the latter should be rocked, the ball-joint between the casingQ and the chamber l will permit the chamber 4 to swing with the float to compensate for any diifer-- ences in movement between the float and the sunken submarine. 7

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that minor changes inconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention what I claim 1s: a

1. A device of the character set forth comprising a rescue chamber carried by a submarine, means associated with the chamber and carried by the submarine and releasable there from to ascend to the surface of the water,

and means for releasing said chamber to per-' mit it to be guided to the surface of the water by said first means.

2. A device of the character set forth comprising a float detachably secured to a submarine, a guide means between the float and the submarine, and a. rescue device movable in said guide means from the submarine to the float.

3. A device of the character set forth comprising a housing secured to a submarine, a float in said housing, guide means carried by said float and adapted to establish a. guide between the float and the submarine when the former is at the surface of the water and the latter at the bottom, and arescue device oporable in said means between the submarine and the float. i

4. A device of the character setforth comprising a casing secured in the deck of a submarine, a float in said casing, a chambercarried by said casing and in communication therewith, telescopic means between the chamber and the float and adapted to permit the float to ascend to the surface of the water-1 when the submarine is-sunk, a rescue deviceoperable in said means and adapted to travel from the vchambertothe float and from the latter backto'theformer, and means for actuating and controlling therescue device} A H w I 5."A device of the characteriset'forth comprising a casing secured in the'deck" of a submarine, afloat mounted ll'L'Silld casing and removable therefrom, a'leaf-proofcon nectionbetween the float andtlie'casing, a

chambercarried by thecasing and'in communicatiOn thereWith, telescopic guide means between the chamber and the float',.a rescue device slidab'ly mounted on the guide means, means for establishing communication between the rescue device andthe exterior of the chamber, means for admitting water to the chamber for forcing the float to the surface of the water whenthe submarine is sunk and to cause therescue device toascend'to the float with a person therein, and means I for retrieving therescue device to the casing from the interior of the submarine.

6 3A device of the character set forth comprising 'a casing securedm the deck ofa submarine, a float removably mounted in' said casing and having a' passageway therethrough, a hatch for closing said passageway,

a chamber carried by saidcas'ing' and in communication therewith, telescopic guides con-.

necting-the chamberwith the float, a rescue ehamberslidable on, sald guides, a removable hatch for said rescue chamber, a vestibule prising a casing secured to a submarine,a float movably mounted in said casing, a chamber movably supported by the casing and in communication therewith, telescopic guides between said chamber and the float, a movable chamber located in the first chamber and slidable on said guides and having doorways, hatches for closingsaid doorways, said floathaving a passage, a hatch for'closing said passage, a vestibule formedin the first named chamberand adapted to communicate with one of the doorways, a door for closing said vestibule, bleeding valves for said vestibule and one of said valves in communication with the interior'of the submarine andthe other valve in communication with the interior of the first named chamber, an operating means carried by the'rescue chamber and operable the bleeding valves, tmeans for admitting water from the exterior of the submarine to the interior of the chamber to force the float to the surface ofthe water and force the res-.

cue chamber to said float when at the surface of the water, and means for retrieving the rescue chamber to thejfirst named chamber and within the submarine;

8. A deviceof the character set forth comprising a casing secured to a submarine, a

' float carried by said casing, a chamber car ried by casing, telescopic guides-between the float and the chamber, a rescue device slidable on said guides, means for permitting entrance of a person from the submarine to the rescue device, means for admitting Water to the chamber from the exterior of the submarine, a platform carried by the chamber, an operating drum on said platform, and a cable wound on said drum and connected to ;the rescue device. 1

V 9. A device of the character set forth comprising a casing secured to a submarine, a

float in said casing, a chamber carried by said casing and in communication therewith,

telescopic guides between the float and-the chamber, a rescue device mounted on said uides, means for forcing the float and'rescue' O device-to, the surface of the water whenthe submarine is sunk and telephone means between the float and the submarine.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

- I JOHN M'ELMS; 

